Hippodrome of Constantinople facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hippodrome |
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| Sultanahmet Square (Sultanahmet Meydanı) | |
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Obelisk of Theodosius in Sultanahmet Square today
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| Location | Istanbul, Turkey |
The Hippodrome of Constantinople was a huge stadium in Constantinople, the capital city of the Byzantine Empire. It was the main place for sports and social events. Today, this ancient site is a public square in Istanbul, Turkey, called Sultanahmet Square.
The word hippodrome comes from two ancient Greek words: hippos, meaning "horse," and dromos, meaning "path" or "way." This is why it's sometimes called Atmeydanı ("Horse Square") in Turkish. Horse racing and chariot racing were very popular long ago. Hippodromes were common in Greek, Roman, and Byzantine cities.
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Building the Hippodrome
The Hippodrome was built even before Constantinople became a famous capital city. It started when the city was called Byzantium, a smaller town. In 203 AD, Emperor Septimius Severus rebuilt the city and added a hippodrome for chariot races and other fun events.
Later, in 324 AD, Emperor Constantine the Great decided to make Byzantium his new capital. He renamed it Constantinople, meaning "City of Constantine." Constantine made the city much bigger. A major project was to rebuild and improve the Hippodrome.
It was about 450 meters (1,476 feet) long and 130 meters (426 feet) wide. The starting gates were at the northern end. The curved, U-shaped end was at the south. A long barrier, called the spina, ran down the middle of the race track. This spina was decorated with many monuments.
The stadium could hold an amazing 100,000 people! The emperor had a special viewing box called the Kathisma. It was on the eastern side of the track. The emperor and his family could enter the Kathisma directly from the nearby Great Palace of Constantinople.
Amazing Decorations
The Hippodrome was filled with beautiful statues. There were statues of gods, emperors, animals, and heroes. Some were very famous artworks. For example, there was a statue of Heracles and one of Romulus and Remus with the she-wolf.
The starting gates had four amazing gilded bronze horse statues on top. These are now known as the Horses of Saint Mark. They were taken from Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade in 1204. Today, you can see them on the front of St Mark's Basilica in Venice. The race track also had bronze statues of famous horses and chariot drivers, but none of these have survived.
What Happened at the Hippodrome?
The Hippodrome was the heart of city life in the Byzantine Empire. People bet huge amounts of money on chariot races. There were four main teams: the Blues, Greens, Reds, and Whites. Over time, the Reds and Whites became less important. The Blues and Greens became the two main rivals.
Up to eight chariots raced at a time, with two chariots from each team. Each chariot was pulled by four horses. These races were more than just sports. They were one of the few times the emperor and ordinary people could gather in one place. People often discussed politics at the Hippodrome.
The rivalry between the Blues and Greens was very strong. It often mixed with political or religious disagreements. Sometimes, this led to big riots, almost like civil wars. The worst riot was the Nika riots in 532 AD. About 30,000 people were killed, and many important buildings were destroyed. This included the Hagia Sophia, the city's main church. After the riots, Emperor Justinian I built the current (third) Hagia Sophia.
Decline of the Hippodrome
Constantinople never fully recovered after it was attacked during the Fourth Crusade. Even though the Byzantine Empire lasted until 1453, the Hippodrome slowly fell into ruin. The Venetians, who attacked the city, likely took the famous four horses from a monument there.
When the Ottoman Empire took over Constantinople in 1453, they were not interested in chariot racing. The Hippodrome was gradually forgotten. However, the area was never completely built over. Instead, people used stones from the Hippodrome for other buildings.
Famous Monuments of the Hippodrome
The middle barrier of the Hippodrome, the spina, was decorated with many monuments. Three of these ancient monuments still stand today in Sultanahmet Square.
Serpent Column
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To make his new capital look grand, Emperor Constantine and later emperors brought artworks from all over the empire. One of these was the Serpent Column. This column was made to celebrate the Battle of Plataea, where the Greeks defeated the Persians in the 5th century BC.
Constantine moved the column from the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, Greece. It was placed in the middle of the Hippodrome. The top of the column originally had a golden bowl supported by three serpent heads. These heads were destroyed in 1700. Parts of them are now in the Istanbul Archaeology Museum. Today, only the base of the column remains.
Obelisk of Thutmose III
Another emperor who decorated the Hippodrome was Theodosius the Great. In 390 AD, he brought a tall, pointed stone pillar called an obelisk from Egypt. He set it up inside the racing track.
This pink granite obelisk was first put up at the Temple of Karnak in Luxor, Egypt, around 1490 BC by Pharaoh Thutmose III. Theodosius had the obelisk cut into three pieces to move it to Constantinople. The top part still stands today on a marble base, exactly where Theodosius placed it. This granite obelisk is nearly 3,500 years old and is still in great condition.
Walled Obelisk
In the 10th century, Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus built another obelisk at the other end of the Hippodrome. This obelisk was once covered with shiny gilded bronze plates. However, these plates were stolen by soldiers during the Fourth Crusade. The stone core of this monument still stands today and is known as the Walled Obelisk.
Statues of Porphyrius
Seven statues were placed on the spina to honor Porphyrius the Charioteer. He was a famous chariot driver in the early 6th century. He raced for both the "Greens" and the "Blues" teams. None of these statues have survived. However, the bases of two of them can be seen in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.
The Hippodrome Today
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The area where the Hippodrome once stood is now officially called Sultanahmet Square. The Turkish government takes care of it. The path of the old race track is marked on the ground with special paving. The actual track is about 2 meters (6.5 feet) below the current surface.
The remaining monuments from the spina – the two obelisks and the Serpent Column – are now in landscaped gardens.
The German Fountain is located at the northern entrance of the Hippodrome area, near the Blue Mosque. This beautiful fountain was built by the German government in 1900. It celebrates the visit of German Emperor Wilhelm II to Istanbul in 1898.
Archaeologists have done some digging at the site. In the 1980s, parts of the curved end of the Hippodrome became visible. In 1993, during construction near the Blue Mosque, several rows of seats and columns from the Hippodrome were found. These pieces were moved to Istanbul's museums. It's possible that many more parts of the Hippodrome are still hidden beneath the parkland of Sultanahmet.
The Hippodrome was even shown on the back of Turkish 500 lira banknotes between 1953 and 1976.
Images for kids
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Sultanahmet Square from the sky, showing the surviving lower walls of the Sphendone of the Hippodrome.
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The surviving lower walls of the Sphendone, the curved grandstand of the Hippodrome.
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The four bronze horses that stood atop the Hippodrome boxes, now at St Mark's Basilica in Venice.
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Base of the statues of Porphyrios, kept in the Istanbul Museum.
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A stone capital with winged horse designs, possibly from the emperor's viewing box.
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The Hippodrome in 2005, with the Walled Obelisk in the front and the Obelisk of Thutmose III on the right.
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The base of the Obelisk of Thutmose III showing Emperor Theodosius giving a laurel wreath to a winner from his viewing box.
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A procession of guilds in front of the Sultan in the Hippodrome, from an Ottoman miniature (1582).
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The Grand Vizier Crossing the Atmeydanı by Jean Baptiste Vanmour shows the Hippodrome and the Blue Mosque in the early 17th century.
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A watercolor painting of the Hippodrome's spina and Hagia Sophia from an old manuscript.
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An engraving by William Watts after Luigi Mayer showing the Atmeydanı and the Blue Mosque.
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A drawing from the 12th century showing an Arab captive demonstrating his skills to the emperor in the Hippodrome.
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